Car-coupling



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Patented May 17, 1887* InYenZM': 300 Bra W72.

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P. BROWN.

GAR COUPLING.

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(No Model.)

' P. BROWN.

GAR COUPLING.

Patented May 17, 1887..

.Zzwwlar Bray Bra Wn ick 1 NITE TATES PERRY BROWN, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 363,112, dated May 17, 1887.

Serial No. 196,453. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PERRY BROWN, of Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in (Jar-Couplers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in automatic car-couplings; and the invention consists in so constructing the car-coupling that it may be used either as an automatic link-and-pin coupling oras an automatic hook-coupling, all as hereinafter described, and shown in the accompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my device arranged to operate as an automatic link-andpin coupling. Fig. 2 is a plan showing my car-coupling arranged to operate as an auto matichook-coupling. Fig. 3 is a diagram plan showing the hook-coupling perfected between two draw-heads, the link-and-pin coupling device being omitted. Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the draw-head with the hinged seg ments removed. Fig. 5 is a horizontal central section through the draw-head with the parts in the relative position required for the linkand-pin coupling. Fig. 6 is a vertical central longitudinal section of the draw-head with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a detached perspective view of the hinged segment carrying the link-and-pin coupling. Figs. 8 and 9 are detached perspective views of parts indicated by the letters.

The draw-head A is provided upon opposite sides with the hinge-knuckles B B and B B, to which the segments 0 and D are hinged by means of the removable hinge-pins G D.

The segments 0 and D, when in the position shown in Fig. 1, form the mouth of the drawhead as required for a link-coupling, the segment 0 forms the heck of an automatic hookcoupling device, and the segment D carries the automatic piircoupling device, which is substantially the same as the one granted to me by Letters Patent No. 308,404, November 25, 1884.

The link-and-pin segment may be swung out of the way of the hoolccoupling and secured the hook-segment is unlocked, as hereinafter described.

F is a suitable coupling-pin, engaging in the usual pin-hole through the draw-head, one half of said pin-hole being formed in the hook-segment and the other half in the link-and-pin segment, which latter has on top and bottom collars c d, Fig. 7, which carry the pin when the segment is swung back. In a recess in the segment D is secured on a vertical pivotpin, e, the swinging shutter G. (Shown detached in Fig. 8.) This shutter rests on a spiral-shaped incline, f, secured at the bottom of the recess, as shown in Fig. 7, and is thereby turned antomatieally by the action of its gravity into the position shown'in Fig. 5 whenever it is free to do so. In this position the wing 9 prevents the coupling-pin from dropping into the pin-hole until the link in entering the mouth of the draw-head pushes the shutter out of the way, and thereby leaves the coupling-pin unsupported and free to drop into the pin-hole, thus perfecting a coupling. The bearing of thepin is shortened by keys, lugs, or warts h in front of the pinhole, at the top and bottom of the mouth of the draw-head, to add strength.

The hook-segment of the coupler is constructed with a knuckle-joint, as described, and has two radial arms, H I, set at right angles, or nearly so, to each other. The inner one is formed as a cam-hook, m, and has two grooves, i 9', cut in the outer end, each of which will form alock with the lever J, hereinafter described. The inner side of said cam has a shoulder, 70, and the top and bottom also have shoulders I) b, all of which are made to fit corresponding projections in the draw-head when locked by the lever for a coupling. The strain of the pull falls on said inside shoulder and the top and bottom shoulders of said inner radial arm. The other arm, H, of this segment has cut into its inner face a groove near the end, and this arm so grooved forms the clutch or hook which makes the coupling for the hooked coupling.

In making this coupling, the knuckle-joint being drawn open, as shown in Fig. 2, the opposite coupling-hook of a similar cofinpling en ters between the walls of the drawead, driving each other backward until the groovesin the cam-arm engage with the lever J, forming a lock. The outer end, a, of the hook-arm is made rounding or oval to engage into the inner groove of the companion hook to form therewith a hook engagement which will pre vent uncoupling by the lateral motion of the cars and to aid in coupling or. uncoupling on a curve.

The lever J, which perfects the cam-lock, is pivoted in the top of the draw-head at 0, extending down through the slot in the bottom of the draw-head and resting its curved end 011 a crank, K, formed in the rod L, which passes across the end of the car and is secured at each side thereof by a staple or otherwise, and is provided with a hand-lever to be operated from either side of the car to lift the curved end of the lever and unlock the coupling. Attached ,to this rod by a loose eyehinge, p, or otherwise, is a rod extending to the top of the car, which may be used to operate the lever from the top of the car. The lever is hung on an incline, so that when lifted for uncoupling it will fall back by its own gravity to its place. when released. Behind the lever, fitted in a small chamber, is secured a spring, M, which presses the lever to its locking position in aid of its own gravity. The draw-head may be fastened in its place on the. car by the ordinary. tail-piece or the continuous rod.

As an additional fastening and. to prevent V the uncoupling of the cars by the breaking of engages.

thetail-bolt or key, I provide the sides of the .shaft of the drawhead with two trunnions, N,

which work loosely in oblong grooves 0, made in the metal plates which line the inner sides of the draft-timbers. These trunnions have sufficient-play to accommodate the buffersprings, but are so fitted as. to protect said spring from unnecessary draft or compression, and the draw-bar is held in place by metal plates I, bolted to the draft-timbers.

One of the metal, plates is shown detached in Fig. 9, in which 0 is the oblong recess, into which one of the trunions N of the draw-bar R is. the square recess, into which the ends of the follower-plates of the buffersprings engage, and Sv a flange forming the top of the recesses in the metal plate,which latter is also provided upon its rear face with pro-. j ectinglugs T, let into the draft-timbers. Upon its under side the draw-bar is supported upon the cross-girts V W, bolted to the draft-tin1- bers, the latter one being also let into the under side of the draft-timbers, so as to engage with its ends into the cut-away portion Y on the lower edge of the recess R in the metal plates. By this means the draw-bar is very securely held in place and is at the same time easily removable.

The link-and-pin segment is provided on top and bottom with rearwardly-projecting lugs 1*,which fit into corresponding recesses, s, in the draw-head, and thereby firmly brace the segment against violent impact in coupling or backing when the link-and-pin coupling is in use.

It will be seen that when the draw-head is arranged for the linkand-pin coupling, as shown in Fig. 1, the segment D is firmly locked in position by the collars c d, for which bearings 14 are formed on the segment 0.

It will'be seen that the shoulder 7c, catching on a corresponding shoulder in the draw-head, will tend to relieve the pivot-pin G from part of the strain.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a car coupler, a draw-head having hinged segments, such as the segments 0 D, arranged for joint operation'on a link-and-pin coupling and for independent operation of one of the segments in a hook-coupling, substantially as described.

2. In a car-coupler, the combination of the draw-head A, the hinged segment 0, having a locking device such as the lever J, and the hinged segment-D, having interlocking meeting faces with the segment 0, substantially as described.

3. In a car-coupler, in combination with the draw-head A, the hinged segments 0 D, the

as described.

4. In a car-coupler,-the combination, with the draw-head A, of thehinged segment 0, having the radial arm I, provided with the cam -m and locking-grooves ij, and the radial arm I-I, arranged to form a coupling-hook, and the coupling-lever J, all arranged to operate as described.

5. In a car-coupler, the combination, with the draw-head A,having the coupling-lever J, of the hinged segment 0, having the radial arm I, provided with cam m, locking grooves.

t j, and shoulder 70, and the radial arm H, having the groove n, all arranged to operate sub stantially as described.

6. In a car-coupler, the combination, with the drawbar having the hinged segmentsG D, of the hinged segment D, having the eye E7, and the bolt E, carried by the draw -head, all arranged to operate substantially as described. I

7. In a car'coupler, the combination, with the draw-bar having the hinged segments 0 D, of the hinged segment D, carrying an automatic link-andpin coupling device, and collars c d, which carry the pin, substantially as described. v

8. In a carcoupler, the combination, with the head A, having the hinged segments 0 D, provided with a locking device for the segment 0, of the hinged link-and-pin segment D,

having the collars c d, and the segment 0,

having the bearings 10 formed thereon, substantially as described.

9. In a car-coupling device, the combination, with the draw-head A, of the hinged link-andpin segment D, the hook-segment G, the locking device of the hook-segment, the collars c d on the segment D, the bearings w, formed on the segment 0, a rearwardly extending lug or lugs, r, on the segment D, and a corresponding recess or recesses, s, in the drawhead, all arranged to operate substantially as described.

10. In a car-coupling, the combination,with the draw-head A and the hinged hooksegment G, having radial arms I H, of the cam m and grooves 13 on the radial arm I, and the lever J, hinged to act by gravity and having an actuating-spring, M, all arranged to form an automatic locking device for the hinged segment 0, substantially as described.

11. In a car-coupling, the combination, with the draw-bar having buffer mechanism and trunnions N, as described, of the metal plates P, having the recesses R 0 formed therein, and flanges S, and the cross-girts V \V, all arranged substantially as described.

12. The combination, with the draw-head and a vertically-pivoted coupling-hook, of a swinging segment pivoted upon the opposite side of the draw-head from the coupling-hook, substantially as described.

13. In a car coupling, a draw-head having a hinged segment adapted for independent operation as a hook-coupling, in combination with a link and pin, and a rest, as g, for bolding the pin in position to drop into the link, substantially as described.

14. In a car-coupling, a draw-head provided with a coupling-pin and two segments, said segments being constructed to jointly form a recess to receive a link and one being adapted for independent operation in a hook-coupling, substantially as described.

15. In a car-coupling, a draw-head. provided with two segments, one of which is constructed to act as a hook-coupling and both of which jointly act as a buffer-head, a pin passing through one of said segments, and a rest, as g, to hold the pin in position to drop into the link, substantially as described.

16. The combination, with a draw-head, a couplingpin, and a vertically-pivoted coupling-hook having a recess to receive a link, of a block pivoted upon a vertical axis upon the opposite side from the coupling-hook and provided with alink-reeess, the said abutmentblock being arranged to help the couplinghook stand the strain of impact in coupling, substantially as described.

PERRY BlROlVN.

Witnesses:

Trros. S. MARTIN, Sr. Mano MUNDY. 

